Filing-cabinet



A. P. ASHER.

FILING CABINET. APPLLCATION FILED AUG-101 1920.

1,384,880,, Patented July 19, 1921,

amomvtoz cabinet.

ALLEN P. ASHER, OF SANDPQIN'I', IDAHO.

FILING-CABINET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July Ml, 19211.

Application filed August 10, 1920. Serial No. 402,611.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALLEN P. Asrrnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sandpoint, in the county of Bonner and State of Idaho, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Filing-Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in filing cabinets of the extensible and collapsible type, embodying a number of sections, and capable of use as a single unit or section and equally well adapted for enlargement by the utilization of additional sections for increasing the capacity of the While I shall hereinafter refer to the cabinet as specially adapted for receiving files of papers or jackets to be stood upon end in the cabinet or units, it will readily be understood that books and other articles may be inclosed within the cabinet in manner similar to book cases &c. With the above mentioned and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel combinations of parts and constructions hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and set forth in theclaims appende'd hereto, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, material, and other minor details may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention.

In the accompanying drawings 1 have illustrated one complete example of a metallic cabinet showing the physical embodiment of my invention according to the best mode I have so far devised for the practical application of the principles of my invention.

Figure -1 is a perspective view showing the base, one unit or section and the top members of a cabinet, separated, as embodied in my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of a cabinet made according to my invention, indicating the manner of superposing the sections or units one upon another, and illustrating also a collapsed unit or section stored in the base for future use.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a filler utilized in the cabinet to file letter-size papers.

' Fig. 4; is a perspective view showing z.

rack member or holder adapted for use in the cabinet.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an enlarged index holder used in the cabinet.

In the preferred form of the invention illustrated in the drawings I have utilized a metallic structure in which the base 1, cabinet section 2 and top member 3 are made up of stamped or pressed metal from suitable blanks or shapes, and it will be understood that one or more of the cabinet sections 2 may be used as indicated by the collapsed section 2 inclosed in the base in Fig. 2, and the section 2 superposed on the section 2, also shown in Fig. 2.

The base 1 is in the form of an open, rectangular frame, to form the foundation and support for the superposed cabinet sections or units, and is provided with inwardly extending top flanges 4 to support the section 2, and from which flanges are struck up the vertically disposed tongues 4:. two of which are located at each end of the base.

Each unit or section as 2, 2 or 2 is made up of collapsible or foldable members, having a fixed bottom as 5, a hinged back 6, ends 7 and 8 and a front door or plate 9, which is provided with spring hinges 10 to hold it in normally upright position as seen in Fig. 2. The two ends and the back plates of the section are provided with horizontally disposed hinges 11, the hinges of the back plate and the front door being located on a higher plane than the end hinges in order that the latter or end members may be folded in the bottom of the section after which the front and back members 6 and 9 are folded over these ends. Thus, when not in use the section may be folded into compact form for shipping, or for storing, as in Fig. 2 wherein the section 2 is stored within the base of the cabinet.

Complementary slots 12 are provided in the bottom of each section of the cabinet, to slip over the looking or guiding tongues, as 4 on the base, or over the similar tongues 13, carried in pairs on the ends and back plate respectively of the sections. Thus the lowermost section is rigidly held on the base, and the foldable members of the sections are held in place by the slotted bottom of the section above.

The cap p 3 of c inet p vided, also with slots 14 in its horizontal bottom flange 15 to fit over the tongues on the uppermost section of the cabinet, affording means for rigidly locking the sections together in manner well understood.

In the front of the sections I provide an index holder 16, preferably a metal plate extending longitudinally of the section and fashioned with guide flanges 16 and 16 to provide a receptacle for the slidable index plates 17 which bear alphabetically arranged letters to be positioned with relation to the files in the cabinet or cabinet section. An added flange 18 of the index holder is projected below the body of the holder and fashioned with open slots 19 to fit over the headed pins 20 projecting inwardly in a horizontal plane from the flange 5 of the section bottom. The holders are slipped down over the pins and held thereon by friction, thus affording means for supporting the index plates just above the hinge of the front door, where they are visible, and the plates are slidable in the holder to adnumber of files.

In use the cabinet sections are of a depth and height to receive and retain the longest files, stood upon end or edge, and the sections are also equipped with'spacers as 21 to adapt them for use with shorter files. Thus the spacers 21, which are made up of angular metal plates of an L shape, are fashioned with integral tongues 21 having upturned ends, adapted to be passed through and supported in complementary slots 22 properly located in the hinged back plate 6, and the flange 21 of the spacer, resting on the bottom of the section, affords an abutment for the back edge of a comparatively short file jacket 28, as in Fig. 2.

lVhen required, the file holder 24: in Fig. 4 may be used to support the file jackets in the section, and this holder is preferably made of sheet metal, transversely scored in order that it may be bent to angular form as indicated at 25 in dotted lines, and thus ready for use in the cabinet section as desired.

When in collapsed or knock-clown form, the cabinet is compact and occupies small space, thus rendering it adapted for shipping or storing, and the combination and arrangements of its parts enables the user toerect or dismantle the cabinet with facility ust them for use with a large or smaller and ease. When assembled, the parts of the sections are held rigidly in place, and the sections, base and top are so locked and held together as to provide a stable support to receive the files, file jackets, books or other articles placed therein.

' Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to se cure by Letters Patent is-- l 1. The combination in a filing cabinet, with a base and locking tongues thereon, of a filing section having a fixed, slotted bottom supported on the base, hinged ends and back plate on said section, a superposed member having means for retaining the ends and back plate in rigid normal'position, and an openable front door to said section.

2. The combination in a filing cabinet with its base and top member, of a plurality of sections each having foldable ends and rear plate and a front door with spring hinge, and means on the upper section 00- acting with means on the lower section for holding said ends and back plate in rigid upright position, and means for holding the foldable members of the upper section in rigid upright position. i

3. The combination with a base having upright tongues, of a'file section having a slotted bottom fixed on said tongues, said section having foldable members and tongues on said members, a top section having slots complementary to the tongues on said section, and a normally closed, hinged door in said section.

4. The combination in a filing cabinet, of

a section as described having slots therein, a

detachable L-shaped spacer in said section having tongues to engage 'said slots, an index holder at the front ofthe section havin'g'a securing flange with'slots therein, and pins on said front part of the section to receive said slotted flange.

5. The combination with abase member having a top flange and integral upright tongues, of a file section having a fixed bottom slotted to co-act with said tongues, hinged; ends and back plate on said bottom portion each having a pair of tongues at their free edges, a top member having a lower, slotted fiange to engage said tongues,

and a spring-hinged front door to said See tion.

In testimony whereof I affix m ALLEN P.

si nature. 

